This invention relates to a lightweight, high strength, disposable or recyclable, corrugated material, easily assembled, shipping container that is resistant to degradation from moisture. The shipping container of this invention has at least one self-hinged door for access in the erected state, and integrated support beams capable of providing support and maintaining position without the use of fasteners or adhesives.
The shipping and storage of goods and materials forms a tremendous industry, which has a major role in the national economy. A large quantity of the goods and materials shipped each year are packed in some type of shipping container. These shipping containers generally take the form of large boxes comprising of a base, side panels, and a top. The containers are usually placed on pallets for support and to allow the use of forklifts for moving them around or loading them on trucks.
Users of traditional shipping containers are faced with several problems. These containers and pallets are generally constructed of heavy materials to ensure that they are durable. Containers made to be durable are expensive to make and use due to the cost of the materials, cost of construction, and cost of disposal. Usually these conventional types of containers and pallets have to be returned after the shipment to the shipper for reuse or disposed of in a proper manner. A disadvantage to conventional type containers is that when they are empty they are relatively bulky and expensive to transport to the locations where they are needed. Many designs have been proposed which allow such containers to be collapsed for easy transport when empty. However, most existing designs for collapsible containers are frequently complicated to assemble, difficult to manufacture, made from relatively expensive and complicated components, and/or made primarily from non-renewable materials.
Another problem common with most box shaped shipping containers is that once the container is assembled, it must be loaded or unloaded from the top. A person packing the container can overcome this problem by leaving a sidewall off of the container until it is loaded, but this solution creates the potential problem of improper assembly if the container is overloaded, or the sidewall is put on improperly. In either case, once the container is assembled and packed, it is difficult, if not impossible, to access its contents without partial or even total disassembly of the container.
Recently, containers made entirely of corrugated material have been proposed as solutions to the problems noted above. Examples of these containers can be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,794,524 and 6,041,718, issued to Larry G. Besaw and Michael G. Brandes respectively. The containers disclosed in both of these patents provide a lightweight alternative to the traditional box and pallet structure. The container disclosed in the ""718 patent also addresses the problem of accessing the contents by providing a removable sidewall. However, shipping containers often encounter moist environments and containers constructed of corrugated material that are left sitting for an extended period of time can begin to degrade around the bottom of the container. Neither of the containers above addresses the potential of moisture damage in that they do not have adequate moisture resistance at the bottom margin thereof. Additionally, by addressing the access problem with a removable sidewall, the ""718 patent removes any structural support provided by a permanent sidewall with its edges securely connected at the corners of the container.
Both of the patents above also disclose the use of corrugated material to support the top of the container packs. The supports disclosed in these patents are attached to the container pack using adhesives or other fastening devices. Neither of these patents teaches a method of holding the supports in place without the use of some type of external fastening device or adhesive.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a lightweight, high strength, disposable or recyclable shipping container.
It is a further object of this invention to provide such a container that allows access to the contents of the container without adversely effecting the structural support of the container.
It is yet another object of this invention to provide such a shipping container that is not as susceptible to moisture damage as some corrugated containers that are currently available.
Another object of this invention is to provide such a shipping container at a relatively low price.
These and such other objects of the invention, as will become evident from the disclosure below, are met by the invention disclosed herein.
This invention provides a lightweight, high strength, disposable or recyclable collapsible shipping container having a top panel and walls made of corrugated material that are mounted on and attached to a pallet. The invention also provides interlocking corrugated support beams to structurally support the shipping container. This invention further provides a door self-hinged at one corner and extending upwardly from the pallet.
A preferred embodiment of the shipping container of this invention includes a pallet, one sheet of corrugated material for the top panel, two additional sheets of corrugated material for the side panels, rear panel and door, at least two vertical uprights, and three support beams made of corrugated material. Each of the sheets of corrugated material, used for walls and doors, provides is large enough to provide one side panel and one rear panel or door for the container, and to provide an overlapping margin on the end opposite the door.
To assemble the shipping container, the sheets of corrugated material that are used for the side panels are placed on a lip located on the sides and ends of the pallet and the corrugated material is attached to the pallet on the sides using fasteners (preferably screws). The vertical uprights are placed adjacent to the side panels in the corners of the container that are opposite from the self-hinge on the sheet of corrugated material. If only one door is desired, the rear panel opposite the door is then attached to the pallet with fasteners (preferably screws), the overlapping margin of the other sheet of corrugated material is then folded inward and the margin and rear panel are attached to the vertical support with fasteners (preferably screws).
The support beams are then assembled by folding a seamed sheet of corrugated material into a square conduit, closing the end flaps and locking the ends with a locking tab. The top panel flap is folded over the outside of the walls of the shipping container and the beam interconnection tab is placed through slots in the walls and into the beam tab slot, thereby locking the support beams in place. The container can then be loaded from the top or the door end. After the container is loaded, the top panel is placed on the container, the container is covered with a waterproof bag, and the bag is secured with straps placed around the container.
According to the teachings of this invention, the corrugated material is positioned above the bottom of the pallet so that moisture from the support surface does not enter and degrade the container. The self-hinged door is a part of a sheet of corrugated material forming the door and one side panel. The other side panel and the rear panel are formed from a second sheet of corrugated material. Support beams constructed of corrugated material extend between the tops of the side panels and a sheet of corrugated material covers the top. The container is easily assembled, and the self-hinged door provides easy access to the interior of the container. The container disclosed in this invention is equally suitable for use in shipping and storing commercial or household goods.
For example, the moving and storage of furniture and household articles form a tremendous industry as there are a large number of families and individuals moving from place to place each year. Timing differences between selling an existing home and purchasing or building a new home may require the short-term storage of household goods and furnishings. In such cases, the container disclosed in this invention can be used to move the household goods and then used as a temporary in situ storage space that provides ready access to items that a person may need before moving into his or her new home. Such readily available, easily accessible, storage is also suited for people who require temporary storage of household or workplace goods and furnishings due to home or workplace remodeling.